Saturday, March 13, 2010

s: Gal 4:6And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

o: Through Jesus we have been set free from the bondage and condemnation of being under the law. WE ARE GOD'S CHILDREN!!! We have been given the Spirit of Jesus which cries "Abba, Father!"

a: I will reflect today on the profound and wonderful implications of being children of GOD. No longer slavishly groveling under the weight and guilt of the law; no longer on the outside looking in; no longer trying to measure up to gain acceptance; but thriving in that "glorious freedom of the children of God". I am in a relationship with the Father that is intimate and satisfying to the core of my being. From this place of security and love, I can humbly serve Him and not suppress this joy and grace in any of the relationships He brings into my life.

p: Dear Father,It breaks Your heart to see Your children living in bondage and despair. You have freed us and grieve when we turn back to our slavish ways - living in fear and anxiety... living as though we were not loved and adequately provided for by Your gracious Hand. We are rich and privileged beyond imagination. We accept Your loving discipline, we embrace Your plan for our lives, we express with our hearts and our lives our deep gratitude for adopting us into your family!Amen

4 comments:

Thank you for your prayer Sunny. It hit home like you can't believe this morning. I will purpose to live with the knowledge that I have been set free today and not weary my poor husband with my fear and anxiety today. I want to be prepared to accept His loving discipline. I want my trust in His ways and Will for my life to prevail.

O: The major theme I noticed in these 3 chapters was God instructing the Israelites to look out for one another and for those who would have a harder time providing for themselves (aliens, the poor, the fatherless, and widows). A lot of the things God is instructing the Israelites to do (leaving the second harvest in their fields) are things the people are to supposed to do without being asked by those in need. They are supposed to recognize there are needs that everyone can contribute to providing for.

A: I want to look for ways to help others without being asked. In the kids movie 'Robot' there is a little robot that says, "See a need, fill a need." When he gets discouraged he reminds himself of this and uses it to keep himself motivated to help others even though they do not always respond well.

P: God, please help me not to be closed off to the needs of others. Give me the motivation to help fill the needs I see around me when I can. Thank you for being a caring and compassionate God. Fill my heart with compassion for others, even when I tend to want to block it out.

Thanks Sunny, good SOAP...thanks Tina, I always enjoy your comments...and thanks Tina, great insight as usual!My verse for the day was Deut. 23:23 (easy to remember) = Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth. As I've been praying this past week for God to use me to share his love this week, I realized in this verse, that I better mean it, sincerely and wholeheartedly. I had to ask God to remove my recent sins from this week, so that I can sincerely and lovingly seek out those who NEED to be loved and/or who God wants me to share His love with.

I am about to head out of the house and will be gone for most of the day at various functions where I will no doubt be running into people all day long...so I needed to clear my vessel, spend time with my "Abba Father" in His Word, listen to what He was saying, and be ready.

Hopefully, I'll be able to find an opportunity to show my "thanks" to Him too Sunny!

Sunny, chose Gal 4:6 and also vs7. I am no longer a slave but a son; an heir.Why is it that we Christians have such a bad image with non-christians? They and the "slaves"; we are the "heirs". Is it because much of what they hear, particularly in the media, isn't our freedom and our incredible inheritance in Christ, but all the things christians fight agains't. Rules of behavior and laws (the Law) didn't work before Christ came, why should we think they will work now?This is why my sharing Christ's love is so important in our culture. Then maybe our living as an heir will be more attractive than living as a slave.In my sharing with people today I want to convey Christ's love and the wealth of my inheritance both in word and attitude.

Pray & Watch

Do you believe in God’s sovereignty? Do you believe that God is at work in your life and the lives of those around you? If the answer is “yes” then you must acknowledge that the people God puts in your life— family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and the clerk at the grocery store—are in your life for a reason. All these people matter to God. And what matters most is people finding Jesus.

«But what can I do?», you ask. You can reach out with acts of kindness and prayer. The apostle Paul said, «I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.» As Christ followers we are not here to convert or criticize. Only God has the power to change people’s hearts and only God has the authority to pass judgment. What we can do is Pray & Watch. Pray for God to draw people to himself. Watch for what he will do in their lives. We do this because we believe what matters most is people finding Jesus.

MRCC

Reaching one percent of our community one person at a time for the One who has given us grace and joy!